Communication Skill Article

Effective Communication

Effective Communication - A Communication Skill Article

Communication is continuous. Everyone communicates. Even when you do not want to participate in a conversation your silence is communicating. You are giving out nonverbal communication. Sometimes communication signals may be mis-interpreted by others, but at all times you are sending out messages.

Communication is everywhere. When communication is ineffective it can cause stressful situations in our relationships with other people.

Communication forms a bond between people. The connection that is formed is different according to circumstances, the people involved and the level of communication shared. Some environments we are forced to communicate with people we may not get along with. Its especially important to be aware of how the unspoken or spoken messages are received and interpreted. Working together is necessary in some environments and recognising that you are joined with others to achieve a goal may help to reduce the conflict.

A good communication skill article will tell you that communication can always be improved. You may run into someone who feels they have the answer to everything and will find yourself pulling out your effective communication skills to make your words clearly understood. You may not be able to ‘think on your feet’ perfectly every time, but learn from your mistakes and watch how experienced others handle stressful situations.

Active Listening skills

An effective listener will be completely focused on the person speaking. Their thoughts are directed on the conversation as they determine the validity of the speaker’s words, listen for a hidden meaning (watching the nonverbal communication), mentally summarises points of the conversation, and thinks ahead about the conclusions.

Good listening skills required completely attention on the speaker. An active listener will seek clarification that they’ve heard the person’s words and meaning correctly. They will use cues such as ‘aha’, ‘oh yah’ and ‘ok’ to show that they are listening.

A good listener will also be aware of their body language and nonverbal behaviour and how it affects the person speaking. For instance, have you ever had a conversation with someone who was looking in the distance or at someone else while you were talking? Did you find it difficult to continue sharing your story?

Practise the different types of listening styles with a friend and weigh up the pros and cons. Try listening with your full attention, including leaning your body forward and keeping eye contact with your speaker. Then try continuing the conversation, but move your body so it is pointing away from the speaker and avoid eye contact. After you experiment with both styles discuss the difference between them. How did the other person feel with both? How did you feel?

It feels better when someone is listening to your ideas. When someone is giving you their attention it feels good and you want to continue sharing your story. When we listen to someone we are saying to them that we care and want to hear what they are saying.

Be aware of your judgement when listening.

Many people jump to conclusions when listening to someone speak. They evaluate what the person is saying from their beliefs and attitudes which may be different from the speaker’s. This is where our judgements may create mis-understandings. Practise at listening to someone without judging what they are saying. This communication skill article suggests that you just listen and try to understand where they are coming from.

Sometimes people listen through a large barrier of defence. They look for negative information that will prove the person wrong and them right. If you are listening with a mission to find what you believe is right you will likely miss what the other person is trying to say. A productive conversation does not mean that either one of you have to be right. Drop your defences and just listen. Be open to learn new information. Wait your turn. Then speak your part.

Communication Skill Article - Active Listening Exercise

Non-Verbal Communication Skills